A New Reign
by Sivol
Summary: I CANNOT FINISH THIS STORY! This is a rewrite of an old story I had, but due to a series of unfortunate events, I no longer have the base I was working from and thus cannot finish this rewrite. ;-; im so sorry
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N{Author's Note}:** This story is a redo of one I had written 4 years ago (which used to be on here). It's not the best, several characters will still be OOC, but I hope that at least now much of the grammatical mistakes, continuity errors, and unanswered questions will be resolved. It is also very possible given my history of dropping stories suddenly that this rewrite may not get finished. I hope, however, that it will be finished._

 **Chapter 1**

Harry's eyes were dry and red from the stress that rushed through him in nonstop waves. Earlier that morning, he had to come back to Hogsmeade after nearly five months of Horcrux-hunting. His goal was to look for a way into Hogwarts. Of course, that didn't turn out quite as the young man had planned, as he'd met with his dying Potions Professor inside of the Shrieking Shack and obtained his memories in various silver strands. After Harry had managed to finish off Voldemort, he felt the need to view those memories as soon as humanly possible.

It was an emotional rollercoaster from start to finish. Harry witnessed for a second time the outright abuse his father and godfather had committed, and that made the pit of his stomach drop. The hatred that he'd once held for Severus started to dissipate when Harry watched the man weeping over Lily's lifeless form and groveling at Dumbledore's feet for forgiveness after leading Voldemort straight to Godric's Hollow. After seeing everything from the man's past condensed to just the most heart aching and precious memories that Snape could muster, Harry couldn't help the fear that spread throughout him. Though he didn't forgive Snape for his abusive actions towards him and his friends, Harry's need to have his questions answered easily outweighed the notion of accepting Snape's death. He feared that the dark wizard was already dead, unable to answer the questions he had, and that dread coursed through his very being. Even the neglect, malnourishment, and occasional whacks over the head at the Dursleys had never had him so set in a continuous fight-or-flight state as the prospect of so many unanswered questions did.

Green eyes darted feverishly around the snowy banks as the Boy-Who-Lived ran for his target. "Gotta find him, gotta find him." He hoarsely muttered to himself as he clenched his hands into fists. His neck stiffened with each corner that he rounded until finally the dilapidated hovel of a shack came into view.

From a sprint to a run, Harry shot into the Shrieking Shack like a hound on a trail. He made his way directly to where he last saw Snape. A hard pulse thumped painfully in his throat as he stared to the lifeless form of the double spy. "No…" His breath hitched as a sudden strained intake of air sounded off from the Potions Master. "You're not allowed to die you git!"

In a flash, Harry knelt by his ex-Potion Professor's side and a shiver ran through his body as he gazed to the shredded hole in the man's neck. He pushed past the discomfort and grabbed onto Snape's arm. Within seconds, they were transported to the very edge of the wards surrounding Hogwarts. "Mobilicorpus!" Harry shouted as he charmed the man to float just in front of him. Soon they were off, headed inside the castle walls, up the stairs, and straight for the infirmary.

The large double doors of the hospital wing burst open as the two made a beeline for one of the few empty beds still left in the area. Madame Pomfrey barked orders towards one of the four assistants that had been sent over from Saint Mungo's, and soon she spied the professor from the corner of her eye. Dark blood leaked down from the man's neck at a steady pace and a growing stain washed over the white cotton sheets beneath him as she jogged over to the scene.

With a yank of her wand, Madame Pomfrey paralyzed the professor to keep him from being able to move and she made a break for the potions cabinet. "Potter, get gauze and bezoar, fast; before he loses too much blood!" She rattled off as she snatched three potions from the shelves. "Who- or what did this?"

"Nagini-" Harry told her as he dashed across the room and looked through the supply drawers for the gauze he would need. Wrinkles formed on his forehead. "-she was Voldemort's snake… but her venom is supposed to be incurable."

"Ohh, pish-tosh." The woman scoffed as she rushed back to Snape's bedside. "There isn't a poison in the world that this man hasn't created an antidote to, and I have this." With a pop of the cork, a rather tiny potion sizzled as it made contact with the air. Once it stopped the ruckus, she poured the shimmering brown liquid over and into the wound on Severus' neck. "He said it was an accidental creation, a cure-all, for any poison, venom, or rash."

With no specifics to go on, the young man wasn't sure which roll of gauze Madame Pomfrey wanted, so instead of chancing the wrong one, he loaded his arms with one roll of every kind. He snatched the bezoar from one of the drawers he'd seen it in earlier then ran back to the medi-witch and dumped them on the table beside her. "You aren't allowed to die, you bastard!" He hissed towards the professor.

"Mr. Pott- watch your language! Please." Another group of the injured was rushed into the infirmary. With a glance to the ceiling, Madame Pomfrey heaved a sigh and jumped right back into her work. "Go make yourself useful. Call Saint Mungo's, tell them we haven't got enough healers."

Harry nodded and he was off to the floo in her office. He scattered a handful of floopowder into the fireplace and stuck his head into the flickering green flames. "Saint Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries! Hello? He- eh, hello? I'm calling from Hogwarts, we need more healers."

A rough and grisly Scottish voice called out from the fiery abyss. "We're runnin' on men and women who've barely gotten into the field, make do with what you have!" Flames lowered and the neon glow on Potter's face faded as the line was cut off.

"Rude…" Harry growled before he took off back into sickbay. Breathy and partially garbled demands came from Snape's bed and Harry ran towards them.

"Let go…" Black eyes flashed cold as the dark wizard took in a sharp, loud breath and his cheek twitched just slight enough to have been noticed. "-of me!" Severus demanded as his arm jerked away from her pull. A second intense gasp for air and another wince, but this time it was accompanied by a grunt. "I'm fine!"

Thin fingers reached out and yanked the man back down to his bed by his robes. "You lay back down, this _instant_!" Pomfrey shrieked towards him. "The **bones** in your neck are exposed yo- you are **bleed** ing through to the mattress! I will restr _ain_ you if necessary."

Wrinkles returned to Harry's forehead as he hustled to the man's bedside. His hands clenched Severus' ankles firmly. Contact was brief as within seconds, leather straps formed between their skins and plunged through the sheets and mattress. His grip moved up to the struggling potions master's wrists. After a few moments of back and forth, Harry managed to get Snape's hands on the bed and straps shot out quicker than before.

The young man gave a sharp flick of his hands as he released the professor. "You are going to do whatever Madame Pomfrey tells you to. You are going to get better. You **will** be alive to answer my questions." He gave a tug on one of the straps. "These are for your own good."

That glare which set in on Severus' face could have rivaled the likes of Voldemort on a bad day. A low gurgle and growl escaped from his throat. It hurt far too much to try talking again. In a huff of resignation, his head hit the pillow. His face scrunched and he held his breath for a couple of seconds as the pain surged. When it died off as much as it would, Severus turned his head and bore his neck to the medi-witch.

Harry shook his head and looked back to Madame Pomfrey as she poured potions in and down Snape's throat. "Saint Mungo's told us to work with what we have." He relayed as she instructed him to hold a wad of gauze.

"Professor, you're going to be in a lot of pain in a moment, I highly suggest breaking your 'no pain potions' rule considering the circumstances." Madame Pomfrey told him. She clenched her teeth as she tried desperately to ignore that display of wordless, wandless magic that Harry had just done.

A displeasured grunt came but Severus agreed to the potion with a sore nod. Thin dry lips spread to talk, but no sound came other than a pained grunt. Carefully, Harry studied the man to try to figure out what he had attempted to say. Finally, he went to gather a quill and parchment from Madame Pomfrey's desk.

When he returned, he held his hand out over Snape's right wrist and the strap disappeared from it. He handed the pen to the man and held out the pad for him to write on.

Soon the dark wizard began to write on the page. _**Fine.**_ With a snap of his fingers, Severus brought Madame Pomfrey's attention to the document. After she glared at him for the way in which he garnered her attention, she gave a satisfied nod. Severus looked to Harry and stared for a few moments with his lips pressed flat. Once again, he set in to writing. _**Wordless/wandless magic? Since when?**_

Horrible gurgles mingled with a scream from Severus as Madame Pomfrey poured the potion into the gaping hole of the man's neck. Snape clenched his hand and the quill he held snapped in two.

The boy took his bottom lip between his teeth and peeled a layer of skin away before he managed to force his body to relax. _It's just a wound; it'll heal like all other wounds_. He told himself. "I realized I could do it after I killed Voldemort." He admitted. After he cleared his throat, the young man noticed the blank stare on Snape's face and he elaborated. "Er, he broke my wand, and then when he died there was a big rush of magic. I wandered where my wand was, and boom," He slapped the back of one hand into the palm of the other for added emphasis. "-it was like I'd accio'd it right into my hand. Since then, if I try hard enough, I can pretty much do whatever I want magically, as long as I know the spell for it already."

Air rushed from his lungs as Severus flopped his head back onto the pillow. With wide eyes and a rigid and serious expression, his head moved just enough to stare to the broken quill. Once the Brat-Who-Lived had replaced it, Snape only had one thing to share. _**This is bad.**_

"Wait, what's wrong with that?" Harry demanded indignantly. "More power is supposed to be a good thing. It's why we go to school, duh."

Fury and perhaps a glint of fear reflected in the potion master's eyes and soon he was scribbling at full speed. _**It isn't good when it's received upon someone's death! Foolish Gryffindor; use that space in between your ears that supposedly holds a brain for more than a HAT RACK!**_

A haughty laugh escaped Harry's throat. "You're lying there, _dying_ in a hospital bed, blood from a huge wound soaking your back, and yet still you find the time to insult my intelligence. Yes, I have my reservations about this and what it could mean, but I will not run myself ragged with worry until I have proof." The muscles in his calves tensed and the young man shifted his stance wider. "Is that not something _you_ have tried to teach us; never accept things at face value?" His hand shot down to the man's wrist and the restraint was swiftly replaced. "It seems that you are the one who should use your brain, and learn to stop insulting people who just **saved** your _life_!" Suddenly the quill and pad were snatched away, and Harry stormed off for the large double doors. "I hope you can't talk for a month, 'cause you're certainly not getting this back."

Every single day, Harry showed up in the infirmary to help Madame Pomfrey and the few healers they had on loan from Saint Mungo's with their duties. As he was no longer enrolled in school there, due to his adventures seeking horcruxes, Harry had volunteered as a helping-hand. It was easy enough to ignore Snape as not only was Harry's plate currently full since so many required aid, the Potions Master still hadn't managed to regain his ability to speak, though he had 'earned' his freedom from the leather restraints at Madame Pomfrey's insistence.

Even after a week had passed since their argument, Harry still felt the sting of the insult flung at him. Though the young man remained quite angry with Snape for all manner of past infractions, that anger was mild in comparison to the relief he felt from the knowledge that the man who held so many answers was still alive.

Harry's evening meal-break quickly approached and his mind wandered to what would be served in the Great Hall. Strange gurgles in a sharp intake of breath sounded off from Snape's bed which snared Harry's attention. The young man glanced up from 4th year girl whose arm he had begun to wrap just in time to hear the throaty, sloshy voice of his once-instructor. "Pot…ter."

"A moment, Professor." With a gentle tug Harry wrapped the tail end of the bandage around the girl's forearm and tucked it into the bottom. A forced smile that only shone from his mouth and left his eyes bleak formed as he gingerly patted her wrist. "Don't worry Audrey, you'll be fine in a few days." He whispered.

A sigh escaped his mouth as Harry moved back and walked towards Severus. He stood beside the man's bed with a rather dour expression. "What?" He demanded as his arms crossed over his chest.

"You took…" Another rough gasp of air sounded from the man's throat. "His power." Snape worked out.

"Yeah, so I gathered." Harry muttered as he glanced down to his somewhat dirty fingernails. "I am sure that's not all you have to say."

Snape shook his head and some strands of his oily hair fell back onto the pillow beneath him. "You have..." With this draw of breath the noise from the man's throat had quietened but the rumbling in every breath was still present. " _His_ power." He tried.

"You've already said that." Harry replied shortly.

Once more the dark wizard shook his head. He jerked his right arm up yanked down his left sleeve. There on the man's skin, for the world to see was Voldemort's dark mark. "His power." He repeated as he shook his arm.

Harry's eyes narrowed. By all accounts, from everything that Dumbledore had told him and everything he'd learned about the Death Eaters, upon Voldemort's death that mark and all other marks should have vanished completely. "What are you trying to tell me?" He asked in disbelief.

The man before him grimaced as his eyes slipped shut. Really, the idiocy this boy displayed had begun to grate on his nerves. "Your anger... Burns."

Harry's shoulder rolled back as his weight shifted onto his left foot. Tense fingers quickly ruffled through his black coarse hair as the world around him became eerily quiet. For a few moments he stood with his hand in his hair and his eyes to the ground as his mind searched for possible alternatives. "How do you know?" As the noise returned his head swung back up and his eyes bored into Snape's. "How do you know it was me?" He moved to the nearest free bed and snatched one of the pillows from it. "What if the sun was just beating down on your arm through the window?" He clenched the pillow tight then threw it onto the floor. His eyes never broke the stare he shared with Snape. "Or what if you got bit by a spider? That'd make it burn." The pillow morphed and shifted and into a chair which Harry promptly sat in.

Obviously, in Snape's mind, the child was an idiot. The quickest way to get through that thick skull of his would be to simply make him extremely angry and show him exactly what happened. With a sneer and a glare as a plan formed in his mind, Severus' right hand shot out, and he snatched Harry by the collar to pull him in close. "Foolish… Idiot… Gryffindor." Wrinkles formed on his nose as Severus shoved the boy back. With each pause in his speech another inhale quivered with mucus. "Your mother… could never… be proud… of such… a-"

Any sign of emotion quickly left Harry's eyes as the young man sat in his seat. His teeth ground hard against one another and his nostrils flared. Just as he was about to demand Severus finish his thought, Harry realized that Snape's body was arched. Blood dripped down from the clenched fists of the Potions Master and added to the stains on his sheet. "Wh-" Green eyes darted to the mark on Severus' arm, and then Harry understood.

Atop inflamed red skin, the black ink of the snake that had been so painstakingly applied years before began to writhe. Not only did the Dark Mark move, but the very magic that had been injected into the tattoo caused the muscle beneath it to twitch and tense. A long groan that had worked its way out from Severus' mouth turned into a heavily suppressed growl.

"You've got to be kidding me." Harry whispered with wide eyes as he watched the display begin to die down.

In a matter of moments, Draco Malfoy barged into the infirmary as he clutched his own left arm. "Madame Pomfrey, where's Potter? I don't think the Dark Lord is dead." The wavers in his voice and the trembles of his shoulders told of the fright he felt.

"Of course he's dead!" Madame Pomfrey stated adamantly as she peered up from her patient. "Don't you dare start rumors abo-"

"No! Yesterday, my mark, it burned. And just now, it moved and burned again." Draco tried as his fingers twitched and his feverish eyes darted around the room. Once he'd spotted Harry, the young man ran over to him and finally released his arm. "Potter! Listen to me, the Dark Lord, he isn't dead. I felt him through my mark. Uncle Severus, tell him!" He demanded.

Briefly the shimmer of a silver-blue orb befell the group and dissipated. Harry lowered his hand. "Silencing barrier." He explained as his posture fell slightly and he stared towards the platinum blonde brat. "Listen Malfoy, the only, and I mean **only** reason I'm telling you this is because you worked a little for the Order this last year. If you hadn't, I'd just let you suffer… the thing is, when I… when I killed Voldemort, something happened." With a glance to the ground, Harry's hand slinked up to the back of his neck and the young man cleared his throat. "I think that I- dunno, maybe absorbed his power. Apparently when I get mad, it makes the marks burn."

Nervous mild laughter momentarily erupted from Draco's throat as he absently rubbed his arm. "You're kidding… This is obviously a joke." He said with a lopsided smile that quickly shifted into a frown. "This is a joke… right?"

"You want proof?" An innocence that once resided in Harry's eyes seemed to be missing. "Make me mad. That'll be all the proof you need."

A throaty groan rumbled from Severus' throat as the man clenched onto the sheets. "Oh no…. not again." He winced.

"It's the only way he'll believe me, Snape. Stop being such a baby." Harry scolded.

Indignant fury laced Draco's voice. "Potter you arse; he's saved both our hides more times than either of us would probably care to admit, and you have the- the gall… Pff… He's injured! And you call me the bully. Some savior."

Soon both of the former Death Eaters were writhing in their spots. Years of training had enabled Severus to do this quietly and with minimal movement, but the young and inexperienced Draco screamed out at the sudden fire burning on his arm.

Harry sneered as he tried to calm himself. "I am not a bully, Malfoy, and don't you ever insinuate that again. You don't know what I've been through, you pompous prat." Spittle flew from his mouth at and the immense pain finally died down in the others' arms. "Tch… Believe me now?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The infirmary doors burst open to reveal a panicked Ron Weasley that held a very stiff and petrified Hermione Granger in his arms. The frantic young man heaved a loud grunt followed by a whimper as he ran for the nearest empty bed.

"Merlin's Beard!" Madame Pomfrey immediately rushed over to the bed and pulled her wand. "It's the basilisk all over again… What happened?" Harry soon ran up beside them.

Gingerly Ron placed Hermione onto the bed. Sprawled limbs, arched shoulders, a gaping mouth- it wasn't hard to see that when she'd been petrified, Hermione was in pain. With a wince Ron stepped back and wrung his hands at his sides. "It was me this time- I petrified her." The admission flew from his lips and his voice was heavily laced with guilt. Disbelief spread on Harry and Madame Pomfrey's faces, and Ron shook his head quickly. "She was on the staircase, going to the library. She wanted to see if Madame Pince needed help reorganizing after the war… I was running after her, but the stairs didn't know which one of us to move for and she was taking a step onto the third floor, but the stairs moved for me, and she fell down to ground level." Shaky fingers reached up and back into the young man's red mop of hair. Ron clenched his hands tightly through his tangled locks. "I'm sorry! I knew that if certain bones were broken she shouldn't be moved but I didn't know which bones were broken so I petrified her and brought her here."

A flick of brown waved over Hermione's body and Madame Pomfrey sighed some with relief. "Mr. Potter, please escort Mr. Weasley somewhere to calm him down, I will take care of this." The woman ordered as she lifted the body bind curse.

"-AAAaaauugh! Ronald, you twit!" Hermione's voice echoed through the room as Harry had begun to tug Ron away. A sudden noise emitted from her mouth which was unclear whether or not it was a laugh or a cry that awoke some of the injured who were asleep in the room. "Only my arm's broken, I didn't need a body bind." Her head fell back onto the pillow behind her.

Days passed and more and more people were deemed fit to leave the infirmary. Harry spent most of his time there busy so as to ignore Snape yet still keep an eye on both him and Hermione. On the third day since Hermione's fall, she was cleared to leave, and Ron, who had been by Granger's side since the incident, followed the young woman out. It appeared that Hermione had long since forgiven Ron, but to judge by his actions, Ron had yet to forgive himself.

With a smirk and a saunter, Draco came out of Madame Pomfrey's office. "Guess who just got you freed from hospital jail, Uncle Severus? That's right, me."

The Medi-Witch followed behind. "-and remember, NO alcohol. Make him talk, use those vocal cords and get his voice back to where it was." The woman ordered as she hiked her skirt up just past her ankles to walk faster. "No alcohol, did you hear me?!"

"Of course Madame Pomfrey. No alcohol, talk a lot." Draco repeated back to her in hopes that she would relent.

"Snape's getting out today then?" Harry asked as he approached the man's bedside. His eyes bore down onto the Potion Master's form and his eyebrows furrowed as Harry sunk deep into thought.

A haughty laugh came from Draco's mouth. "Yes he is." Draco informed the young savior. "It seems that I am an expert negotiator."

White robes flourished as Madame Pomfrey loomed in over Snape's bed. "No. Alcohol." She ordered as her blue eyes bore into the abyss of Snape's black eyes.

Thin lips curled into a sneer as Snape returned the stare with a glare. "I would appreciate it... If you would stop... Saying that." Severus bit out between ragged gasps of air. The man growled as he sat up in the bed. The pillow from the bed was snatched away to go be cleaned as Snape slid his legs over the side and began the wobbly attempt to stand. After nearly two weeks of bedrest, all of Snape's muscles were sore and aching which caused his first step to freedom to be more of a stumble. Draco caught on to his arm, but was promptly pushed away. "I do not seek… your help." Severus growled through clenched teeth at the young man. Yellowed fingers reached for his wand on the nightstand by the bed, and Snape snatched it.

Harry sidestepped out of the way to wait for Snape to lead the way. He followed behind and clasped his hands behind his back, intent to stay with the small group. "Where are we going?"

"Away from here." Snape snapped. The man stopped for a moment and turned around to face Harry with a renewed fire in his eyes. "Why are you following us?" His voice spoke volumes of the distrust and disdain he still held for the boy despite the fact that he'd been saved by his actions.

"I have questions that only you can answer… and I've always been curious to know what your room looks like." Harry answered bluntly.

Nostrils flared and Severus took a step towards the young man before him. "What makes you think... I will allow you... Into my personal quarters?" He demanded.

"Because if you don't," Harry smirked and extended his left arm towards the man. "I'll get mad." An air of faux innocence befell Harry's face as he tapped where the Dark Mark would have resided if he'd ever gotten on.

The stare from Snape felt like icy daggers which shot into Harry's core as Severus approached him. The man's sudden onslaught sent Harry back a few steps. "You will never… hurt me as much… as the Dark Lord has." His tone spoke of decades of torture, the likes of which Harry could only imagine.

A stony stare set on Harry's face as he took the challenge. "It may not hurt you, but it'd hurt the hell out of Draco. He's not had the chance to build up a resistance to physical pain like you have."

"You manipulative little shit!" Severus growled alongside a vexed exclamation from Draco. He turned tail angrily and stormed down into the dungeons towards his private quarters. As they entered the man's chambers, the door behind him slammed and the reverberation echoed through the room. Harry noted that it looked fairly much like he'd thought it would. The walls were a deep green that looked like rich velvet, there was black carpet everywhere- even leading into the Professor's kitchenette, and everything made of metal was silver. Despite the rich color behind it all, the room still felt cold, dark, and dank. Two things surprised Harry though; an empty tank that sat in the corner of the main room near the fireplace, and that all of the faded furniture looked soft and comfortable.

"I have questions and they will be answered." Harry's voice rang as he took in his surroundings. Finally he looked back to Snape. The older man grunted as his cheek twitched and he sat in a chair. Draco meandered into the kitchenette and Harry sat across from Severus in another chair. "Alright, first question, be honest. Why do you act like you hate me, and then turn around and save me at _literally_ every opportunity?"

"I don't 'act' it… I don't hate you… but I disdain you… You are the progeny of… my most loathed enemy… I scorn your attitude… I condemn your cockiness… I abhor that you… have his face… but have her eyes." His voice caught in his throat and Severus growled. The raspy fight for breath between his statements certainly seemed to be improving some- very little, but some. "I save you because… You were the hope… of our world… Because I promised… that I'd ensure your safety… and I don't break promises."

Harry leaned further back into the chair as his left leg began to bounce. "I think you're not admitting something, but I'll take that nonetheless. Fine, next, why do you piss me off- push my buttons so much?"

"Because you're easy." Snape answered with a halfhearted snarl.

Draco soon returned with a glass of water in his hands. He placed it down beside Snape on the little table to his left.

Harry ignored the blonde's presence and shook his head towards Snape. "Don't believe it. You just make me mad for the fun of it? You don't have fun, you've said as much over the years." His leg stopped its movement and the young man interlaced his fingers together on his stomach. "I think you like to make me mad because it's easier than… than something else. It's probably something to do with my dad, or maybe my mum. Either way, I think it's because of something you're hiding."

"You've no idea… what you're on about… Next question." Hopefully the swift derail would get the brat off of this train of thought.

Rustles of fabric against leather sounded as Harry shifted his weight so he might lean forward. The boy's face was stone serious. "What kind of powers do I have to look forward to now that I've apparently stolen them from Voldemort?"

Snape gave a short shake of his head and raised his hands to emphasize his inability to answer. "There's no way of… knowing for sure… He had several abilities… only made possible through… his level of bitterness… and lack of empathy. You have empathy and love… so you may not get any… or get warped versions… they will have to be… dealt with when they… begin to appear."

A long sigh escaped Harry's throat as the boy filtered his fingers through his hair. He rested his face into his open hands as he thought about the answer and the next question he had. Finally with a thick swallow, the young man looked back up to Snape and Draco. "Can I live with one of you?"

The shock on both of their faces was beyond apparent. Severus' eyebrows flew down as he attempted to decipher whether or not the Boy-Who-Lived was being facetious. Draco simply looked bewildered and asked, "Why on earth would you want to live with one of us? You hate us! Besides, I live with Uncle Severus now."

Harry shook his head, and used Severus' own words against them. "I don't hate you... I disdain you. Look, I can't go back to the Dursley's. I promised them they'd never have to see me again after last summer. Grimmuald Place is out of the question, as we're all still using it as base for what's left of the Order. The Weasley's is a no go, they've already got a full house especially since Hermione moved in with them, and I wouldn't feel right going back there without Fred around, and Ginny keeps trying to make me ask her to marry me. I've tried breaking up with her, but it's like she magically doesn't hear me when I try." He sighed again. "You two aren't after my fame or name, so I don't have to worry about you spewing to the tabloids that I would be living with you because quite frankly I know you'd rather keep that under wraps, and I'd pay rent."

Money truly made the world go round, as when he heard it Severus' eyebrow shot up. "How much rent?" He asked.

With a small grunt of amusement Harry's lips curled into a small smirk. "Twenty galleons a week." He offered. The young man slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a small pouch. "And I have first week's payment up front."

Severus stared at the boy as he mulled over the offer. When it was clear that Snape still wasn't sure, Harry decided to sweeten the pot. "Look, I'll make it worth your while. You know how people keep willing stuff to me? Well one of the 10 Potions Masters alive died a few months back. He left everything in his vault to the Boy-Who-Lived. I'll give you the key to that vault if you say yes. It holds all of his potions related materials, from supplies to ingredients that I've never even heard of." Harry offered.

Still not convinced, Severus clasped his hands over his stomach and leaned back in his chair. "If so many people have… willed their vaults to you… why would you need us… when you can easily buy… your own plot of land… anywhere in the world?"

"Three reasons." Harry said as he straightened his back and sat up. "One, I can't trust the confidentiality of _anyone._ With you two, like I said before, I can trust that you're not going to go around blabbing to all the papers, 'Oooh the Boy-Who-Lived lives with me'. I can trust that you won't give people the address, because you dislike me so much you won't want people knowing I'm anywhere near you. Two, it's too much work. You have a house already standing, I assume. If I were to go through the trouble of buying my own plot of land off in the middle of nowhere, I'd want to build a house from the ground up, and again I still couldn't trust that the person who sold me the land wouldn't tell people where it was. Three, I can't live alone… I won't say more than that, you'll just have to trust me, I can **not** live alone."

"Twenty galleons a week?" Severus asked as he rested his elbows on the arms of his chair. The man propped his chin up on his interlaced fingers as Harry nodded. Coal black eyes swept to the side as Snape raised an eyebrow towards Draco.

"We have a reputation to maintain in the neighborhood. He'd need a complete change of wardrobe to blend in with us." Draco said before he gave a shrug back to Snape.

"Wait- neighborhood?" Harry asked, suddenly worried about flocks of people who might clamor around the property.

"Muggle neighborhood." The man sighed. "No one would know you there… I have been entrusted… to ensure your safety… even if it is to… keep you safe from yourself… Since you refuse to buy… your own land, I have… no other choice… but to accept."

* * *

Off-white walls that seemed to stretch for miles towered around the group as they stood in queue at Gringotts Bank. The three had been uncharacteristically silent while they were there, each lost in their own mind.

Finally as it came Harry's turn to approach the goblin, the group seemed to snap back to reality. Harry walked towards Griphook and placed a key upon the table. "I wish to give full rights over vault 628 to Severus Snape. He should get his own key as well."

Warily Griphook flicked his eyes from Snape and back to Harry. "You do realize he is a known Death Eater?"

Harry stared at the Goblin in somewhat disbelief. "Has word not reached the bank yet? The war is over, Voldemort is dead. Severus was a spy for Dumbledore- it is _because_ of Severus that we were able to get enough information so that we could defeat Voldemort and his ilk- Severus Snape will have full rights over vault 628 and his own key."

"As you wish, Lord Potter." Griphook said as he scrunched his nose towards the dark wizard. He gave a slight bow to Harry then disappeared into a small room off to the left as the door creaked behind him.

"Ugh." Harry turned around to face the others. "Seriously, has word not gotten around yet? He asked half bewildered.

Unsure in his actions and words now, Draco looked towards Harry with a eyebrow. "I didn't know you were a Lord."

"What did you expect to happen once I came of age? The Potter name and fortune would just up and disappear?" Harry asked mockingly. He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "No, when you've inherited both the Potter and Black fortunes, and hundreds of people start willing you everything they own because you saved the world, you tend to earn a title in the process.

Squeaks erupted from the door as Griphook emerged with two keys, one he handed to Harry and the other he quite begrudgingly tossed towards Severus.

Harry glared towards the goblin but he didn't have time for petty rivalries. "Griphook, I would also like to make a withdrawal from my personal vault." The young man said as he dug around in his pocket for the key. Once it was produced he handed it to the goblin and looked back to Draco. "Malfoy, how much are we going to need for this new wardrobe you demand?"

"Potter I have watched you from our very first day at Hogwarts, and you have worn nothing but rags which were all 3 sizes too big for you under your robes. You will need a _complete_ overhaul, we have a respectable reputation and if you're supposed to be part of the unit, you need to look like us too." Draco began calculating the figures. "You're a Lord so that ups the ante a bit as people will expect more of you, so you'll need a complete holiday set for Christmas, a set for social gatherings, a set for balls, a set for weddings, a set for funerals, a set for interviews in case you agree to any, fourteen everyday sets so you can go at _least_ two weeks without wearing the same thing twice, and two extra sets just in case… So it would probably be at least 600 Galleons."

Green eyes rolled back and Harry sighed but nodded. "Alright then, I would like to take out 700 Galleons." He stated as he looked back to Griphook.

The goblin eyed Draco warily- another known Death Eater, "Lord Potter I trust you know what kind of image it will set to keep the company of these two." He said as he put in the order for the withdrawal.

"I trust _you_ have the sensibilities to realize _both_ of these men wouldn't be in my company in the first place had they not already proven their loyalty to the side of the light, and that their past public actions in no way reflect what we know of them now." Harry stated with a glare. "Still, Malfoy can be an insufferable prat sometimes…"

A bark of laughter came from Draco. "At least I'm not the one with the fashion sense of a blast-ended skrewt." He taunted as Griphook went to take out the money that Mr. Potter needed.

"Yes well thankfully I have a personality." Harry quipped back.

Severus raised an eyebrow towards the two and shook his head lightly. After Griphook had given the young man his money, the group left only to find that Diagon Alley's 'rush hour' had begun as many people had just come from work to shop last minute before the day was out.

Messy black hair jolted back as Harry groaned and dropped his head back. "Brace yourselves." He warned the group before he started into a quick paced power-walk down the sidewalk straight for Madame Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.

Along the way several witches and wizards stopped the group to sing their praises of Harry's defeat of Voldemort. Some asked him questions, others simply garnered for a chance to touch the savior. One man screamed out of the crowd for Harry to have his grandchildren with his daughter, to which his daughter gave a look of disgust and slapped the man's arm.

Upon their arrival to the clothing shop, Severus locked the doors behind him. Harry sighed and leaned against a wall. "And that is why I don't need people finding out where I live."

A stout woman in her signature mauve robes appeared from the back with a frown on her face. "And who are you to lock my doors to paying customers?" She demanded as she came into view of the trio.

Harry turned around to face the woman with a sympathetic gaze on his face. "My apologies Madame Malkin, people had started hoarding around me and I wished to shop in peace… if you'd like when we leave, I can maybe say something about loving your store to bolster your sales?"

Madame Malkin soaked in the knowledge that even after he no longer needed school robes, the savior still wished to shop at her store. She smiled and nodded, his offer of free local advertisements soothed her frustration. "Of course dear, what can I do for you?"

"Er-" Cracks in his voice caused Harry to stop as he wasn't entirely sure what exactly he was to look for. He glanced to Draco.

Draco let out a satisfied smirk and nodded towards Madame Malkin. "Lord Potter wishes to purchase a full wardrobe which will accompany his prestigious title." The sickly-sweet tone of the blonde's voice dripped with amusement.

The short woman's blue eyes lit up as the prospect of so many garments to be sold entered her mind. "Oh well, then we absolutely will need to take some measurements." She said as she put a hand on Harry's shoulder and led him towards a stand near the back of her shop. "Leanne! We have a customer!" She called back to her assistant who came rushing from the back with a parchment and quill. Small hands slipped Harry's outer robes and shirt off and the woman tossed them towards Draco to hold. Severus snickered at the blonde's indignant look.

With each poke and prod to Harry's form with measuring tape, and each number she called out for her assistant the young savior felt his face burn redder. Exposure of this level with Malfoy in the room caused his hands to clench into fists. Suddenly Harry's face shot up towards the ceiling to hide his discomfort as the little old woman measured his inseam.

Grey eyes peered up to meet with Snape's black eyes as Draco rubbed absently at his left arm. Severus looked to his own arm and nodded back at the young man. "Weird…" Draco muttered.

"Indeed." The dark wizard man answered.

Relief sounded in Harry's sigh as Malkin moved away to read over the list of measurements that her assistant had made. The young man stepped off of the stand and frowned towards Malfoy and Snape. "What's weird?"

"It- it tickled." The blond answered in a low whisper to the young man in front of him, confusion written all over his face. "While you were being measured the mark tickled."

A small nod came from Snape. "It appears as though… all emotions come through… Not just anger…"

Groans of frustration escaped Harry's throat as he let his head fall backward. "Wonderful. We get to explore the entire range of emotions and their effects on you two."

"Alright." The sing-song voice of the cheerful woman rang through. "Time to pick out fabrics!" Her eyes lit up with enthusiasm.

The better part of the next hour was spent with Harry and Draco arguing with each other. Everything from what colors should be used to denote his title upon just a glance, to the feel of the fabric itself was a disagreement between the two.

"You only like it 'cause you're Slytherin." Harry said as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Madame Malkin held the length of green silk fabric up to Harry's face as Draco shrugged to the young man's accusation. "Well yes I'm sure that plays into it, but even you have to admit it's really nice."

"It brings out his eyes." Leanne, the assistant, said much to Madame Malkin's agreement.

"Ugh!" Harry grated as he snatched the fabric down and held it out in his hands. "It's silk! There is literally no reason anyone should ever have an _entire_ outfit made of silk."

Shock filtered across Draco's face and he looked as though he'd been slapped. "Every wealthy and titled witch or wizard I have ever met in my life has had at least three complete robe sets made entirely of silk. Perhaps you should spend more time with people who hold status."

A growl came from Harry's throat and he glared to Draco then turned his anger to Severus. "What about you? Nothing to add?"

The man studied the two young men before him and nodded. "I agree with Draco."

"You traitorous git!" Harry shouted.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Frustration mounted as the young savior tried more and more to have a say in his wardrobe until Harry relented and told Draco and Madame Malkin to just make 'whatever clothes they want' so the group could get on their day. Once the apparel mess was finished, and everyone's arms had been loaded with bags, Harry unlocked the doors which led them back out to the street where a crowd had formed to peer into the windows in hopes of seeing what the savior had bought. As promised, he gave his praise for the store upon his exit. "Well Mr. Malfoy, you were right. Madame Malkin's did have the best service. I love it, thanks." His voice called, just loud enough to be heard by nearby witches and wizards.

Expectations were met as the store immediately filled with witches and wizards who wanted to buy Malkin's clothes for themselves, their friends, and their family. Harry, Severus, and Draco squeezed past the crowd and ducked into an alley. "Can we go home now?" Harry groaned.

Severus had moved all of the bags to his left arm. "No food at home… Elves aren't expecting… until tomorrow…" Severus informed them. The man took in a ragged breath to start again but fell into a short coughing fit. He pushed a concerned Draco's arm away from him and righted himself once more. "Seeing as Hogwarts will be… Closing for staff tomorrow… We should head back to… The manor, but first we… need to find supper."

Murmurs of agreement came from both Harry and Draco. An idea struck Harry. "I know this great muggle diner just down the block from the Leaky." He offered.

Yellowed fingers pinched the black robes that hung off of the Potion Master. "I'm not changing… No muggle places." Severus informed the young man.

With a sigh Harry put his weight against the wall behind him and glanced to the sky. "Fine, let's just buy a loaf of bread and transfigure it into something better." He suggested.

"I'd rather eat real food." Draco muttered as he glanced to the side. Across the street there was a restaurant. "Why don't we just eat there?" He suggested as he pointed to the place.

A thoughtful frown encompassed Harry's face as he looked towards the eatery. "Farcey's?" Harry asked and he received a nod from Draco. "Let's go put this stuff up at the house first, then maybe by the time we get back all the people will be gone and I can eat in peace."

Nods of agreement came from his current companions, and soon the three were off to put up the excess of clothing that Harry had been pushed to buy. House elves gathered around them when they appeared and they took the bags from the group. Severus informed them of the new living situation and asked them to prepare a room for Harry and also to ensure that the clothing had been put into Harry's new room. His last note was a request to shop for food tonight rather than tomorrow as they would be home that evening. The wizards cleaned themselves up a bit and soon went back to Farcey's on Diagon Alley for their meal.

As they entered the muggle-born run and muggle-style establishment meant exclusively for witches and wizards to get a taste of muggle life without having left Wizarding London, the hostess gasped and pointed towards the group. "The Death Eaters kidnapped Harry Potter!"

Severus and Draco glared at the scene she'd just caused - though thankfully there wasn't much of one as they were the only customers there aside from an elderly couple off in the corner. Harry sighed and once more slipped into the lecture he'd seemed to have given so much lately. "They are not Death Eaters. They were spies for Albus Dumbledore, and I am treating them to dinner for their bravery." He schooled his face to appear as serious as he could muster. "It would behoove you to treat these heroes with the respect they deserve."

Red tinged on the hostess' face and she gave a quick nod before she turned tail and walked onward to show them to their booth. Before they'd even been seated, a waitress came around to take their drink order. Soon she left and it was less than a minute when she came back with their drinks only to leave again after she dropped them off.

Suspicion arose in Draco's face as his brows knitted together. "Why do you keep doing that?"

"Mmm?" Harry looked to the young man as he took a seat at the booth. "Doing what?"

"Taking up for us, we're not 'good guys' you know. We've both done some pretty awful things." Draco slipped into the booth and he leaned against the wall.

With a shake of his head Harry silenced the young man. "But here's the thing, you _are_ the good guys. Even if for you it was only for a year, you both made alliances with Dumbledore, you both gathered information from Voldemort and reported it back to Dumbledore, and without you two, especially Snape, there's no way we would have won this quickly. Don't get me wrong, you're both assholes, particularly cruel when you want to be, and although it doesn't excuse your behavior in the past, the facts are that you were both put in lifetimes of servitude. For Snape it was to Voldemort, and for you it was to parents who think like Voldemort. Your cruelty may not be forgiven, but it is explained through that. Now since Voldemort is dead and you don't have to act the part of scary bad Death Eater, it's up to you both whether or not you actually want to be good guys I know you can be." The young man picked up his menu and proceeded to browse the selection for the meal he wanted.

The silence broke as Severus grunted. "Potter, your reasoning… is astounding… and foolishly optimistic… Good people… do bad things… and bad people… do good things… bear that in mind… as you become accustomed… to our way of life." Soon the waitress arrived and the group ordered their meals. After she'd left, Snape started again. "We need to cover rules... for you staying at the Manor." He stated as he motioned towards the blonde. "Let's see if you... remember them all."

With a roll of his eyes, Draco spoke as though he were reading a grocery list. "No loud music, unless it's a preapproved party, no inviting friends over, unless it's approved by Uncle Severus at least 3 days beforehand, no pets, as there's already a snake living there and Uncle Severus doesn't want Serenity to get indigestion from eating whatever riff-raff we might bring in, and no 'flings' are to take place under his roof- If you find a person you like, date them like a proper gentleman, and try to keep them as far away from the manor as possible."

A rough snort came from Harry as he shook his head. "I doubt that last one will be a problem."

"Why, the ladies getting tired of flinging themselves at the Boy-Who-Lived?" Draco teased with a smirk on his face.

Green eyes darted down to Harry's dirty fingernails. "No, they still continue to fling themselves at me in droves, men are too. I just don't fancy dating any of them." He looked back up to Draco and heaved a sigh. "Most of them think they're being sly, but I can see right through them. Some want my money, others want my fame, and still others just want me to father their children. And don't get me started on Ginny- I thought she was perfect, had a plan to settle down with her and everything, but it's like the older we got, the more she only cared about me displaying my affection for her in public. It was like she had to prove to everyone that she 'owned' me, and _then_ she started demanding I ask her to marry me. She even openly admitted that I bored her, and the only reason she was with me was because I'm Harry Freakin' Potter!" His hands flew into the air as he let out a groan of frustration. "Nope- screw that. Not dating anyone for the time being, especially not some stranger."

"Heh." Severus snickered to himself. "Mr. Potter your new… outlook on life is… rather refreshing. Better than that… simpering child you've… been for so long." He mused. "What changed?"

"I chose to stop listening to everyone else and become my own person. I've been a molded pawn all my life, well now that I'm no longer needed, the rest of the wizarding world can go bugger off and I will mold myself into whatever the hell I want to be. I mourned the deaths of people close to me who shouldn't have died in the first place. I realized I needed to step up and do what was best for me as a person. To do that I had to kill Voldemort and get him off my case so the rest of the world would get off my case as well and leave me alone to figure out who I want to be." He sighed. "Now, it seems as though the rest of the world is going to ride me harder."

Savory scents wafted through the air which garnered the group's attention; the waitress had arrived with their orders. She apologized for her coworker's earlier accusation earlier as she sat the scrumptious meals down in front of each person. Mere seconds after she moved out of sight, the trio set in on their food like ravenous beasts.

* * *

Sunbeams peeked in through the slits of the heavy curtain that hung over the guest room's only window and came to rest on Harry's face. With a groggy groan the young man turned away and buried his face into the pillow beneath him. Much to his frustration, he had already been stirred and would no longer be able to return to his sweet slumber, or the lovely dream about cloud people he'd awoken from.

Thunks sounded off as Harry swung his legs over the side of his bed and his feet hit the wooden floor. The young man stood and yawned while he stretched towards the ceiling, then he made his way to the en-suite bathroom. Unfortunately for his toe, he'd accidentally kicked a box filled with what was left of his personal objects along the way. It didn't take him long to shower and shave, and once he'd finished he was off downstairs to join the rest of the living. Along the way a house elf came to him and asked if he wanted anything, to which he requested a cup of coffee. In a flash the little elf was gone and back again with his drink, then he was off once more.

Soft classical music emanated from the main living area, and Severus could be seen from a chair with his eyes closed. "You really should have mentioned… the state of your mail." The man said as his lids raised and he glanced to Potter from the side.

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked as he sipped his cup gingerly to avoid the heat.

Draco sat on the couch with his legs up over a rather large bag. A perfectly coiffed bundle of blonde hair rose up beyond the back of the couch. "Come and see for yourself, it's ridiculous. The Ministry rerouted your mail today and this _thing_ came for you."

"With instructions to check every parcel…" Severus' intake of breath sounded much less pained than it had been for the last couple of days. "-for hexes, spells, jinxes, and the like." He told the young man. "Apparently they had already… removed some twenty letters… meant to poison or kill you."

A heavy resigned groan came from Harry as the young man approached the couch and took in the sheer size of the massive bag of letters that Draco lay on. "There must be a thousand letters there!" He complained before he drank down the brown goodness inside of his mug. "I'll pay you each five galleons an hour if you help me go through it."

Money symbols flashed in Draco's mind and the young man readily agreed, however Severus denied on the grounds that he simply didn't want to.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as they tackled the mundane task to read and sort through every last letter. Draco had made the piles, and Harry would hand the letters he'd sorted through to Malfoy with a quick summary of what they detailed. Luckily for him, most of the letters beared a resemblance to one another and they were able to narrow down the number of piles based on three categories. By the time they had finished nearly four hours later Draco fell back onto the ground and let out a frustrated groan. He held out his hand towards Harry. "Give me the money and I'll tell you which piles are what."

Harry rolled his eyes and rummaged around his money pouch. He poured the galleons onto the floor in front of him and counted out twenty, which he then handed to Draco.

The blonde sat back up and recounted them to ensure the accuracy, then he shoved them into his pocket. "Right, this pile is people asking for your hand in marriage, to have your babies, and to be their best man at their weddings."

Disgust flickered across Harry's face. "Burn it with fire."

With an amused snort from Severus, Draco nodded and cast an Incendio upon the pile. When it was naught but ash, he brushed the mess into the fireplace and returned to the letters. "This one is will statements. People proclaiming that they've added you into their wills, actual wills from the deceased who are giving you things, and the like. Basically you're at least two hundred peoples' heir now."

With a nod, Harry pulled the pile towards him, neatly stacked them, and banished them off to his room. "I'll go through them more personally later when I can muster the attention."

"Lastly, this is a bunch of people claiming to be your relatives. Some are demanding money, some are requesting to come and see you, and some are giving sob stories on their state of life in hopes that you will give them money without them outright asking." Draco informed him.

Anger flashed on Harry's face and the young man shook his head. "No, if they were my relatives they'd have come out much sooner than now. Burn it."

Draco readied his wand but stopped and lowered it. "Actually… there is _one_ I believe might truly be a relative of yours." He said as he thumbed through the paper to find the single note written on white paper with blue lines and strange holes on the side. "I think it's a muggle."

Harry snatched the paper and let his eyes graze over it. The young man slumped back and leaned against the couch as he read.

 _Harry,_

 _Hey, it's Dudley. You prolly don't know it yet, but Daddy died. Mummy said she still wants nothing to do with you._

 _Hey wanna know something weird? I thought to myself 'I wish I could get a letter to Harry' and some random owl started knocking at my window. I figured I'd try it out since that's how I saw you get letters before, so here's hoping this letter actually gets to you. Dunno how fast they go though, hopefully you'll get it in time for the funeral, if you even wanna come. Funeral's on Saturday by the way._

 _Look, I wanted to tell you something… I wanna say I'm sorry. We were horrible to you. I realized that last year. When we were kids, I thought what I was doing was right, I thought that since my mum and dad encouraged it, that you really were deserving of it all. I started therapy for anger management last year, and when we got around to talking about you, I learned a lot of things. And now because I wanted to apologize to you and I tried to get mummy to apologize, she's disowned me for taking your side._

 _Anyways, I wanted to write you originally because you left one of your notebooks at home with some of your clothes. When Mummy went to burn your things, I found the notebook, and kept it for you so she couldn't destroy it. I still live at Privet Drive, but Mummy's moved out, said she couldn't bear to stay because Daddy died here, so it's safe to send a reply._

 _By the way, two people came by today looking for you. They were dressed in those weird robes and said they couldn't find you at that school. They didn't give me their names, but one of them I remember from that flying car back when we were 12. I think he had a twin? The other one had the same red hair, but it was curly and he was annoying. I thought you might want to know. I told them I hadn't seen you since last summer._

 _Harry, I really need to talk you, face to face. I found something else, something in the attic a few weeks back that I think you should have. Plus I need to return that notebook to you. See me when you can._

 _-Dudley_

He read and reread the letter. Harry's shoulders slumped and the young man stared at the paper before him, the words muddled together in his mind. "Yeah, this one's real." He said in a hoarse whisper. Finally the young man's green eyes peered up to the other two. "I'm going to see him. Immediately. If you're coming, wear muggle-passing clothes. I need to see if this notebook is real or not.

Severus nodded his agreement and went to change into something more appropriate. Even though he did dislike the young man, he wouldn't pass up this opportunity to peer into Harry's past. Draco agreed as well since everyone else was, and they all met back in the sitting room once they'd put on muggle-appropriate clothes.

"Grab on." Harry said as he held out his arms. "We're apparating to the shed."


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N: We have a kid for the week no updates til Saturday**_ _. x.x Sorry_

 **Chapter 4**

Sunshine beat down on the trio as they approached the house at number four Privet Drive. Asphalt radiated heat up through the soles of their shoes as they made their way up the road. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry spotted the deep chocolate brown door of his childhood home swing open and violently slam against the stone wall.

Petunia Dursley burst through the doorframe in a flurry of rage. Reddened cheeks and a craned neck showed her displeasure at the situation she'd just left. Much to Harry's dismay, she saw the group across the street and ignored her car in favor of approaching the young man she once begrudgingly called 'nephew'. "I hope you're happy." The woman spat towards Harry. "Your disgusting magic has infected my Duddykins' brain and now he's trying to convince me to _apologize_ to _**you**_! You little… cretin, you **freak**! You deserved everything that we ever threw your way, you taunted us and terrorized us with your abilities- you brought it all on yourself!" A crack sounded as her thin hand came seemingly from nowhere and struck Harry's face. The long nails scratched across his cheek and left red welts in their wake. Furiously the woman clenched her hands into fists at her side, stomped her foot, and left for her car.

"I feel the urge to crucio a muggle." Draco murmured as he gripped his wand tight.

Steadily, Harry's slightly tanned hand reached out to still Draco's wand and the Boy-Who-Lived shook his head. "She's not worth it- that was nothing." He told the young blonde. Apprehension beaded in the form of sweat on Harry's brow as the group approached the now-closed door of number four Privet Drive. Lightly the young man rapped upon the door.

"Don't come back until you'll apologize, I said!" Dudley's gruff voice shouted out.

With a small smirk on his face, Harry shook his head. "Dudley, it's me!"

Footsteps thundered as Dudley clamored down the stairs and the door swung open again. "Harry! Holy crap, that was fast. I sent that letter yesterday." Blonde brows furrowed as Dudley looked towards the others that had come alongside Harry. "Oh er, I didn't realize you'd be bringing company… Uhm, come in I guess?" As the group made their way inside, Dudley peeked his head back out to ensure his mother's car was gone. Hastily he locked the door behind them with a click. "Um, about that notebook- look I'm really sorry, I know it was an invasion of privacy, but I kind of… sort of… read it." Dudley admitted as he led them to the kitchen and pulled the notebook from its place inside of a small basket on a decorative shelving unit. "I wanted to try to connect to you, to learn about what I'd missed out on all those years terrorizing you."

Calloused thumbs slid across the cold plastic of the outer cover as Harry groaned. "My journal… how much did you read?" Panic flashed over his face and he brought the notebook to his chest.

"All of it." Dudley answered as his gaze dropped to the black and white tiled floor. In a flash the young man peered back up to Harry. "But I didn't tell mum anything- and I think it's okay that you're bi."

Draco's eyes widened as he peered towards the young savior. "You're bi?"

A tinge of red crossed Harry's face as he buried it into his hands. "Thanks Dudley."

Quietly Severus raised an eyebrow towards Draco. "The boy's sexuality… is not up for discussion… unless he brings it up." His tone of voice told them to drop it and move on.

Relief sounded in Harry's sigh and the young man leaned back in his chair as he glanced towards Dudley. "Alright, tell me about what was in the attic."

The tone shifted as Dudley's face went bleak. "Oh that…" Wood squeaked as Dudley pushed his chair back and stood. The young man disappeared into the hallway and came back soon after with an old and worn folded parchment in his hands. He placed it onto the table. "At first I thought it was a map, but when I opened it, I saw a bunch of old people, and Mum and Aunt Lily. Then when I touched mum's face on it, you and I appeared. It's a family tree for mum's side of the family, but here's the weird thing. I know from you that a muggle is a non-magical person, but I'm not sure what a squib is, and it says that Mummy, Grammy, and Grandpa are all squibs. It also said that Aunt Lily, you, and James Potter are witches and wizards. Says Daddy was a muggle too. But for me, it said I'm a half wizard, half squib?" A deep frown encompassed Dudley's face as he looked towards the group for answers. "I've never done anything magic though… so I think it's wrong."

"That's impossible." Severus stated as he snatched the parchment and flipped it open. "No human can be… half wizard and half squib… they're one or- ahh." Sure enough the parchment had a picture of Dudley and beneath it read his name and 'Squib/Wizard'. "You're borderline… You are for all intents and purposes… a squib in nature… however if something traumatic were to happen… it would bring out your magic."

Bright blue eyes looked up to the man as Dudley took in all that he'd been told. In a matter moments his mind was brimming with possibility. "So this means I can do magic if it's forced out of me? Wait, why do you talk like that?" His eyes trailed to meet Severus'.

Snape's glance turned to a glare and Harry stepped in to answer. "He was attacked by Voldemort's snake, and after I killed Voldemort I went back and dragged him to hospital. Nagini bit into his throat, it's still healing, and he's supposed to keep talking to build the muscles back up."

Between the open mouth, the bugged eyes, and suddenly slumped shoulders of Dudley, it was clear to see the young man was shocked. "You mean you- you actually… you murdered someone?"

"No, no, no!" Draco said as he shook his head and waved his hands. "Potter didn't murder anybody. He saved us. He saved the muggles too, even though they don't know it. Potter probably saved the whole world now that I think about."

Quick glimpses from Harry to Draco left Dudley somewhat dizzy. "W-What happened?!" A thunk sounded off as Dudley's hands fell against the table. "I'd think _killing_ somebody counts as murder."

Joints popped as Harry stretched to regain his comfort. "Alright, quick rundown. The night my parents died, they were killed by a man named Voldemort. He tried to kill me and he failed, which is where I got the scar." The young man's nimble fingers reached out to brush his bangs to the side. "When he failed, the spell he tried to kill me with rebounded and hit him, which killed him. Well the thing was, nobody had ever survived that spell before, in thousands of years of written history, in the history of ever, but I did. That made me the Boy-Who-Lived, fabled baby defeater of the Dark Lord Voldemort. Fast forward, I turn 11, get my letter, go to Hogwarts, Voldemort comes back. Several times. He had horcruxes which allowed him to return from the dead over and over. A little piece of his soul stayed behind with those horcruxes and when one of his loyal followers would piece him back together with that horcrux, he returned from the dead. We fought, me and Ron and Hermione destroyed his horcruxes, there was a giant bloody battle where he tried to take over the school, and then I killed him. Now I killed him because of what he was trying to do."

Draco raised a finger and leaned his head inward. "The Dark Lord wanted to destroy all muggles, or non-magical folk. He wanted everyone without magic to die, as well as every muggle-born witch or wizard, every squib, and basically everyone who wasn't 'pureblooded' witch or wizard. He was going to literally systematically kill everyone except for a select few that he deemed worthy. Harry saved everyone from that when he killed Voldemort. Harry is _literally_ a living savior of all non-magical humankind, and all magical kind born to non-magical families."

A scoff came from Harry as his arms crossed over his chest. "Yeah and the thanks I get for it is being completely unable to shop or even walk down the bloody sidewalk in wizarding London without people screaming at me to marry them, have their babies, and trying to convince me that they're my long lost third cousin twice removed on my uncle Potter's side."

Solemn nods came from Draco and Severus, and the young blonde hmm'd with a shrug of his shoulders. "Literally every active witch and wizard alive in the entire world knows his name. He's so famous he had a book made about him during what was supposed to be his seventh year at Hogwarts when he was out hunting horcruxes. That book goes into Hogwarts curriculum this coming year. Plus everybody and their brother is willing their estates, fortunes, and collections to him for saving everybody."

Blue eyes sparkled as a small smile formed on Dudley's face. "Wicked." A whisper came from the young man. "So it's not technically cold blooded murder, but hero murder."

A black eyebrow twitched as Harry glared towards his cousin. "Please stop calling it murder. Voldemort murdered people, he took defenseless people down because it amused him, he tortured innocent souls, he killed children, he had his followers do some horrible, gruesome things to his muggle prisoners before he ripped them from limb to limb. What I did was not murder- I put a tyrant down."

The rustle of fabric as Dudley shrugged then lean back in his chair broke the silence. "Well I'm sorry to say, but killing someone is murder, even if you're doing it for the right reasons to stop other murders. Intentional taking of life is still intentional taking of life no matter the circumstances. So yah, you murdered someone."

Harry's gaze seemed to pierce through Dudley's core. Hisses and groans emerged from Severus and Draco as they clutched their arms. The younger yelped and slammed his arm against the table as his head lowered. "Stop it, Harry!"

Sharp gasps came from both Harry and Dudley as the young savior realized what he'd done. As his gaze and anger broke, the ex-Death Eaters' bodies relaxed some. "Sorry…" He muttered.

"Wh-What did you do?" Dudley asked as he leaned away.

With a sigh, Harry propped his dry elbows onto the table and brushed his fingers through his hair. "Er, it was an accident." The young man said before he righted himself and cleared his throat. "Okay so when I killed Voldemort I accidentally somehow managed to absorb all his magic. What was supposed to happen was that he would die and the Dark Marks on his followers, or spies as Severus and Draco were, would disappear, and my parseltongue would disappear- at least that's what Dumbledore had me believe. Instead what happened was now when I get mad, or have any strong emotion really, it makes everyone who had a mark feel it, and I still have parseltongue so I still talk to snakes."

Interest was soon captured once more as Dudley shifted back to a more comfortable position. "So that explains the zoo trip on my 11th birthday." The young man whispered. "Wait, what kind of mark?"

The young blonde slipped his sleeve up to reveal his own mark. "It's like a tattoo but it's magic and usually it just burned, but lately with Potter's range of emotions it's burned, tickled, and just now made the muscle scrunch up." He explained.

Blue eyes widened as Dudley began to bounce in his seat. "Guys, guys! I saw someone with that before!" A pudgy finger pointed towards Draco's mark. "There was some guy, really tall, blonde, long hair, had a cane, and he was dressed _really_ well, like wow. But his shirt sleeves were rolled up and he was digging around the neighbor's shrubs and I remember looking at his arm and thinking 'cool tattoo'."

"Father…" Draco managed before he gulped and dropped his arm to the table. Blonde locks flung to the side as Draco looked intensely towards Dudley. "Did he say anything?"

With a shrug, Dudley shook his head. "Only muttered about finding and squashing bugs. I thought he was loony."

In a flash the three wizards were out of their chairs. Harry grabbed onto Dudley as Draco repeated a new mantra. "We need to leave, we need to leave."

Harry stuck his arm out for Severus and Draco to grab hold of, but before he could apparate out, a loud crack sounded as someone apparated in.

Dudley jumped back and he returned Harry's tight grip as he came face to face with the crooked wand of a very angry woman with long, curly black hair. Her black robes were covered in dirt and bits of grass. "I told you he was here." Yellowed teeth showed through her cruel smile. Delirious laughter erupted from her throat but cut off a few seconds later. "Let's kill them, Lucius."

The blonde man's black wand stayed locked on Harry and he ignored his sister-in-law's request. "Draco, I see you've taken to helping the enemy again."

"The only enemy here is you." Draco spat as his weight shifted onto his right leg and he placed himself between his father and Snape.

Green eyes glinted as a smile formed on Harry's face as he realized that they wouldn't have known of his new abilities. Soon his smile faded as he cleared his throat. "Alright, listen." The young man said as he slowly bent over and placed his wand onto the ground. He kicked it off behind him to show the Death Eaters that he was now rendered unarmed. "You want me, right?" His palms each faced one of them but tension rose as both of their wands pointed to him. "Here, take me." He offered his hands to them.

Lucius moved his wand back to face Dudley as Bellatrix focused hers on Harry's head. "Mmm," Elegant pale fingers slipped up to stroke his chin as Lucius considered the options. "Or, we could kill them, make you watch, and kill you after we've ripped all the skin from your body and forced you to eat it."

As his mind sped to see his options, Harry heaved a sigh. "Alright, no more games, fuck off." Red bolts of light erupted from Harry's palms as he shoved his hands at the assailants. The lightning-like magic engulfed the two and screams of pure agony erupted from their throats. With his left hand still stuck in delivering the painful blow to both of them, Harry moved his right hand and silently summoned their wands.

Ungraciously the Death Eaters fell to the ground with a loud thunk and Harry released them from the blood-boiling, bone-crushing, anguish that was the Cruciatus curse. "I'm going to let you live." Harry told them as he levitated their wands a few inches above his hand. Splinters flew as his hand clenched into a fist and the wands fell victim to the Reductor curse. "But know this- I siphoned your precious leader's magic, and now I have double the core and double the power which makes wordless wandless magic a breeze."

"And apparently half the morals." Draco's eyebrows rose as he whispered to Severus. His voice stayed low enough to keep unheard from the savior in question.

"So if you ever come at me, my family, or my friends again-" Harry continued as he strolled towards the back to grab his wand. "-know that next time, I won't be so generous. Oh and, enjoy Azkaban." His arm extended as the young man pointed his wand towards the two. "Petrificus Totalus."

As Harry turned around to ensure the rest of his group had stayed safe during his exchange, Dudley backed up by a step. His lip drew into his mouth and he chewed on it. "What's Azkaban?" Thoughts of magical torture entered his mind.

Limp hands fell to Harry's side as the young man realized that he'd scared his cousin. Quickly he glanced away. "Er, it's wizard jail." He explained as he looked back down towards the stiff Death Eaters. "Come on." Harry nudged his head towards the two. "Draco, you get Bella, I'll get Lucius, Snape, you get Dudley. We're going to the Ministry and turning them in."

* * *

A loud groan echoed through a small room at the Ministry of Magic as Draco slammed his wrist into the arm of his metal chair. His cufflink clanked against the arm of the chair and left a scratch. "I already told you, they apparated into the kitchen, they took us all by surprise!" Draco yelled.

"You tipped them off then, Mr. _Malfoy_." A tall woman said as she walked around the table calmly. "He was your father, and you can't honestly expect me to believe that you had nothing to do with this."

Light filtered into the room as the door to the hallway swung open. Harry stood there as his splayed fingers clenched onto the slick metal door. "What the hell is taking so long? We came to drop off the bad guys, we dropped off the bad guys, and you called 'routine questioning' about the events. You've had an hour, this has gone well beyond 'routine'."

A stout man in the corner walked up to Harry and blocked his view of the auror who had questioned Draco. "Mr. Potter, you need to leave. We're doing our job and you're interfering." He warned.

Black eyebrows raised upward and Harry's hand gently moved to his own chest as he took a step back. "Oh, _I'm_ interfering. Well, why don't I just go ask Kingsley what he thinks about a prime witness of his good friend's attempted murder being interrogated like a common criminal?" His upper lip curled as he watched the aurors' faces drop. "Oh yeh, forget that little bit of info did ya? Kingsley and I have known each other for 3 years. We've worked side by side defeating those bloody Death Eaters that you lot just couldn't seem to handle. It was his idea in the first place that brought Draco Malfoy in **to be a spy against VOLDEMORT!** "

Briskly Draco stood and slammed his palms against the table. "Yeah! Go get Shacklebolt! Tell him these assholes think I told my father where we were!"

"That-" Harry said as he pointed a finger towards the irate young blonde. "-is beyond ridiculous. Draco didn't even _know_ where we were going, and when we were there, he never drew his wand to cast a patronus, he never used the fireplace- which I might add was a muggle fireplace incapable of a floo call, and he never sent a letter. Want proof?" The young man pulled his wand and put it to his own temple with an incantation. His head arched to the side and away from the wand. A groan escaped his mouth as a silvery liquid-like strand was pulled from his skin. Swiftly it fell into his hand and Harry offered his memory of the attack to the aurors. "Stick this in your pensive and watch it."

After they reviewed the evidence presented and Harry snuck off to get Shacklebolt involved, the aurors were forced to drop the interrogation. When Harry and Draco met back up with Severus and Dudley outside, the young savior pulled his cousin to the side. "Fair warning, people are gonna recognize me and start babbling at me, but I'm getting you to Flourish and Blotts."

As had been predicted stragglers came up to thank Harry, to congratulate him, and to shake his hand or touch him in some way. One woman threw herself to his feet and begged him to marry her daughter. Harry slipped his foot away from her and snatched onto Dudley before they jogged towards the bookstore.

Out of nowhere a man popped up and blocked Harry's trek. "Oh Mr. Potter, it's so good to see you!" He said as he took hold of Harry's hand and shook it furiously. "Listen, my son is having a Bar Mitzvah this weekend and I was wondering if you would come talk to him for me."

"No." Harry said apologetically as he tried to pull away and get to the store.

The man's grip on his hand was tight and he pulled Harry back. "Oh, well then could you at least come by tomorrow? My wife's just given birth and we'd love to have you christen our baby girl!" The man tried.

A low growl escaped Harry's throat and he yanked his hand away. "Listen, Sir-"

"Please just come home with me!" The man begged as he fell to his knees and grasped tightly onto Harry's shirttails. "You don't understand what it'd mean to me! I'll pay you, I'll give you my eldest daughter's hand in marriage!"

With a swift kick, Harry knocked the man off of him then grabbed onto Dudley and ran for Flourish and Blotts. Severus and Draco came up behind him soon after and once they'd all entered, Draco locked the door behind them.

Furious footsteps sounded off as the cashier walked from behind the counter to cut off the perceived troublemakers. As Harry's face came into view, the woman's own fury settled and her face softened. "Oh, Mr. Potter. Another rough trip I presume?" She asked as she pulled down the shades on the glass window set into the door so people couldn't peek in.

The relief was audible in Harry's sigh as he nodded. "Yes, Irma. We need a book you may or may not have- one that tells us how to pull the magic out of a- what'd you call it?" He asked with a glance back to Snape.

"Borderline Squib." Severus supplied with a nod to the cashier. "Afternoon, Irma."

With a nod, Harry looked back to the woman. "We need to pull the magic from a borderline squib without traumatizing him into it."

Pearly white teeth glistened as the woman headed for the back. "I know just what you need Mr. Potter- we don't carry it on the public shelves but we keep it around in case someone asks for it, like several of our more precious and controversial volumes." She called back as her slender fingers brushed the dust from the spine of a book on a lonely shelf in the back room. She emerged shortly after with an old tome that she blew the filth from and handed it to him. "That'll be 9 galleons and 4 sickles."

Jingles of coins came as Harry tugged his coin-pouch up to the counter. He dug out 10 galleons and told her to keep the change. The leather binding of the book was cool to the touch and Harry smiled as he took it. "Thanks Irma." He said with a nod before the young man looked to Severus. "Let's apparate back to the manor, I don't feel like putting up with crowds anymore."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Clatter of dishes and chatter sounded from the kitchen as Draco led Dudley around the house. "And this is the potions lab. You're not allowed in here while Uncle Severus is making things, but if he invites you in, you should _definitely_ come in and do whatever potion stuff he wants you to. He's a Potions Master, there's only like 10 alive in the entire world, so he's really good and there are thousands of people who would kill just to be taught by him in a personal one-on-one setting."

The noise from the kitchen drew the young men's attention before Dudley could offer a response and they quickly went to ensure that all was well. As they approached the cracked door, their breaths caught in their throat to guarantee their silence as they listened in. "Look, he can't stay in Surrey, the Death Eaters will kill him." Harry's voice pleaded.

A grunt of dissatisfaction followed from Severus. "We don't know that there… are any more Death Eaters worth… mentioning." He countered.

"Exactly!" Harry protested as he shoved the dish he'd washed into the drain board. "We don't know! There could be no Death Eaters as you'd like to believe, or there could be mass amounts of rogue groups. It could be just five random Death Eaters for all we know- but all it takes is one to kill him. We know that Lucius and Bella- two of the most horrible and well known Death Eaters ever, knew where he lived, and they likely still know. What's to stop them from relaying that information to captured Death Eaters in Azkaban just before they get out so they can go finish what they started? They might have shared that information with others before, and they know I want to keep him safe- Lucius and Bella saw with their own eyes that he has a connection to me and that I got mad when they threatened him. He needs a safe place."

Severus slammed the cabinet door and grabbed onto one of the dishes in the drain board to dry. "I don't want to spend my time teaching… another person who doesn't know anything about magic… I did my time- I worked at that blasted school… for almost 20 years! I am done teaching!"

Clenched fists loosened and Harry turned off the faucet over the sink. With a sigh the young man rested his hands on the counter in front of him and leaned onto it. "Fine, then I'll teach him." He offered with a glance towards Snape. "You won't have to teach him a thing- I'll cover everything I can, and I'll make Draco teach him potions since he's…" A grin erupted on Draco's hidden face and Severus raised an eyebrow towards Harry. The young savior gritted his teeth. "Since he's better at potions than me."

Platinum blonde hair fell back as Draco lifted his head in silent victory. Finally the bloody Boy-Who-Lived admitted that Draco was better at something.

Harry sighed and pushed himself off of the counter. "I'll pay. I'll up rent to 40 galleons a week for the both of us, I'll buy all his groceries, and I'll keep us both busy so you don't have to deal with us as much."

"Fine." Severus snapped as he opened another cabinet to return the dried dish to its spot. "As long as I don't have to… Continue to listen to your babbling… For another two hours, he can stay."

Relif sounded in Harry's sigh as the young man leaned back against the refrigerator and watched Severus walk into the main sitting room. Draco and Dudley soon entered into the kitchen and Dudley looked most perturbed. "Why do you care so much?" The young borderline asked of his cousin. "I treated you like… like-"

"Like a house elf." Harry supplied which only served to further his cousin's confusion. The young savior shrugged. "You said it yourself- you were doing what you were taught was 'right'. Besides, you apologized and you meant it this time, so I've decided to start treating you like I would family, and family doesn't leave family to rot on the streets or get killed by relentless wizards if they can help."

Confusion etched all over Dudley's face as the young man furrowed his brows. "What's a house elf?"

Black locks fell forward as Harry chuckled in the realization that Dudley still had much to learn of his world. "A house elf is a being." He informed his confuddled cousin. "They are sentient humanoid beings, like vampires, werewolves, merfolk, centaurs, goblins, gnomes, fairies, hags, and the like. Their levels of sentience vary and some prefer not to be classified as beings like centaurs and merfolk. But a house elf- house elves are a race of beings who the witches and wizards captured and enslaved, at least that's how Hermione tells it. From all I've seen, house elves love to serve and live to serve, so I don't see anything wrong with employing them as cleaners and staff if you've got the money, but Hermione says they're like that because our kind has beat the independence from them and through so many generations of domestication they've become complacent with being our slaves out of ingrained fear." The young man shrugged and sighed. "I suppose when you look at the history, she's right, but where they are now, despite trying to have freed them, they don't want to be freed, so some of us in the wizarding community have begun to pay them like we would any other witch or wizard who worked for us, give them vacations, and so on. If they're so determined not to leave when they're freed, we can at least make their stay a little more humane."

Through a mouth full of toast, Draco added on to the conversation. "But thome pepuh-" He swallowed his food and restarted. "But some people don't think like that. Some people, like my father, don't pay them. Those households keep them running around in dirty tattered pillowcases to cover their bits, and they'll scream at them and hit them and kick them and throw them against things if the elves don't do something right, and they are really slaves. They don't really give them the option to be freed either."

With a stretch, Harry cleared his throat and called for a house elf. "Vandy!"

In a silent apparation a small wrinkled elf with a long pointy nose and large tall ears popped into the room. "Mmyeesss Mistah Pottah?" He said as he looked towards the new tenant in his home.

The young savior smiled to Vandy. "Dudley's gonna need his clothes. Would it be too much to ask if you could please go to number 4 Privet Drive and gather some of his belongings? I can apparate you there for a second so you know where it is, but I can't be there too long, cause the Death Eaters have tried to capture and kill us there already." He asked.

Wrinkly ears flopped forward as the little house elf bowed his head. "Not a problem, Mistah Pottah." He glanced toward Dudley and looked expectantly. "Should Vandy get anything else for Mistah Dudley?"

"Uhhh." Dudley started. "No, just my clothes. Oh! And my wallet. It's in the desk in the hallway." He added.

In a crack of apparation, Harry was off with Vandy in tow. Mere seconds passed and the young man returned and gave a nod towards Dudley. "It shouldn't take too long now."

"I found something." Snape's mildly ragged voice called from the sitting room. The group made their way towards the man who offered Harry the book from Flourish and Blotts. "There were three suggested ways to pull… a borderline's dormant magical ability… from their body. The first was to induce trauma… unbeknownst to the person… I assumed you would not be… appreciative of that method… The second was a potion… and the third was a Nimagimancer… unfortunately we currently know of… no Nimagimancers so… we are left with the potion."

Disgruntled grunts came from Draco as he read over the ingredients for the potion in the book. "Phoenix tears? Fawkes went missing the night Dumbledore died, we don't know any phoenixes. And where the hell are we going to get a basilisk scale? The only one we know of is the one Potter killed back in second year."

"And like any reasonable person, I harvested some of the basilisk ingredients and stuck them in my vault." Harry bragged. "I've got 12 scales, 4 vials of blood, a tooth, and 4 vials of venom."

Moments later Vandy popped back in with a pile of neatly folded clothes and a wallet that sat atop them. "Your belongingses, Mistah Dudley." He said with another bow of his head before he glanced around to ensure he was no longer needed and poofed off once more.

A confused but appreciative noise came from Dudley's mouth. "I think I like house elves."

Silence fell over the group as they each contemplated possible ways they might get hold of some phoenix tears. Suddenly, Harry's black brows flew up and he grinned towards Snape. "The vault. 682, the potion vault, it was all the belongings of a Potion Master and he had so many rare things, maybe there are tears in there."

Severus stood and tugged the back of his robes from his chair. "Then let's go to Gringotts and get this… over with." He suggested as he went towards the floo to slip his shoes on from beside it.

Dudley frowned as his gaze drifted to Harry. "So… this is gonna make me magical, but I don't really know anything about magic other than what I've watched you do. Whose gonna teach me? Do you _know_ enough to teach me? What if I accidentally blow something up, or kill somebody?"

Slender fingers rose to rub Harry's mouth and chin as he thought for a moment. "That hadn't actually crossed my mind- I just assumed I'd be teaching you everything but potions and Draco could teach you that."

"You have a mind?" Draco asked with a smirk. "And yeah sure, since you admit that I'm better than you I suppose I can tutor him in potions."

With a twitch, Harry's upper lip curled. "Sod off. I'm being serious. He's right, what if I don't know enough to teach him?"

Draco's shoulders raised in a shrug then he grabbed his outer robes from the rack beside the floo. "Then you start getting books on how to teach and on the subjects you need to teach. Look, you still have all your required reading from Hogwarts over the years, you can use those, and if all else fails, or if you doubt yourself that much, just ask Granger."

With a nod, Harry looked towards his cousin, but Dudley's mind was elsewhere. As realization hit that he had become the target of attention, the young Borderline asked what was on his mind. "What's a basilisk?"

* * *

Luck fell upon the group as vault 628 did, in fact, have bottled phoenix tears. Severus kept hold of the vial and soon Harry returned from his own vault with a basilisk scale which he handed to the renowned Potion Master. After Snape tucked the scale into his pocket with the proper protections, the group set off once more and made their way to Hogwarts, at Harry's insistence, where Hermione had last been seen.

Sure enough the young woman was still there, in the library where she offered her aid to Madame Pince in cleaning and sorting through the books that had been damaged in the war. Harry pulled his friend to the side and began to explain to her the situation involving Dudley, what they'd done, and what they planned to do.

Severus' own attention had been diverted and the man soon left the library with Draco and Dudley in tow. Quiet as they were, Snape knew they followed, but currently he didn't seem to care. Long yellowed fingers trailed across the cool stone wall as Snape's cold features softened and he made his way up the Grand Staircase. The young men's Feet stumbled over one another as Snape stopped suddenly at the fourth floor and made a sharp turn left towards the balcony. Creaks sounded as the dark wizard opened the door and stepped out onto the overhang in the shimmering sunlight. Coal black eyes raked over the grounds as Severus leaned against the rail. "Children screaming, running across the grass… athletes soaring through the air in practice flying… explosions sounding off from the dungeons that… echo throughout the entire school…" Snape's head shook slowly from side to side as his gaze lowered to his feet. "I don't think I shall be able to leave it all behind."

"I thought you hated all that stuff." Draco softly said as he approached the man to stand at his side and look out over the open fields.

Short bursts of laughter erupted from Severus as the man's head tilted upward and he looked to the Astronomy tower. "I do… I despise it with every fiber of my being." The man drew back and righted himself before he peered to the confused blonde boys before him. "But being here, seeing it all with the… supposed knowledge that I'd never return… I can't think of any place else I'd rather be… Even my home seems wrong when I could return here."

* * *

Days had passed and all seemed well at the manor until the third evening of Dudley's stay. A loud thunk came from the sitting room, followed by a clatter and crash as multiple things broke from impact. Draco rushed in from the bathroom with a toothbrush that hung from his mouth, and Dudley came from the kitchen with a sandwich in his hands.

From a pile of broken decorative plates that had previously hung on the wall Severus groaned and lifted his shaky hand which had a shard of porcelain stuck in the palm. "You incompetent brat!" The older man snarled towards Harry who stood on the other side of the room. "What did I tell you? This is _exactly_ why you need to be bound!" He said through gritted teeth as he pulled the shard from his hand and stood. The crunch of the plates as they broke beneath his shoes pierced the group's ears through the still night air.

"I told you **no**!" Harry screamed at the man whilst he approached the broken mess. With his hand held out a soft pink light emerged from his fingertips and the broken plates repaired themselves. "It was an accident, and I'll learn to control it, but I am not, and I mean _**not**_ going to allow **anyone** to bind my magic!" The young man put his hand over Snape's wound and when he removed his hand, the gash was healed.

Toothpaste dripped onto Draco's shirt collar and he banished the toothbrush back to its place and scourgified his mouth. The young Malfoy moved over to Dudley and quietly he whispered. "Did you see what happened?"

A growl left Severus' finally healed throat as he glared towards the blondes. "A new ability, courtesy of the siphoning. Apparently now he can throw people across the room by _looking at them_!" He spat. "And seemingly all of his reasoning skills have been _siphoned_ out of _**him**_!"

Fury exploded from Harry in the form of a half scream, and the anger caused the mark to burn on the older man's arm which brought Severus to his knees. "You want to bind me!" Rage mellowed as Harry took a step back in full realization of his impact. Shakily he brought his clenched hands to his abdomen. "I-I'm sorry." He tried as he took another step in the opposite direction. "I'll learn to control it, I'll fix whatever I do, and I'll start meditating if I have to, but you're not binding me." In a flash Harry brushed his hair from his face and looked to Dudley. "F-Follow me, I need to show you where the first aid kit anyway."

Warily Dudley followed but he couldn't hold his tongue. "I don't really know what all is happening with you, but it sounds pretty bad. If you want, I can give you the number for my anger management group- same number for the therapist cause she runs it and all."

"I'm not going to anger management." Harry informed the young man as he fought with his body to keep any tears inside. Nimble fingers unlatched the first aid cabinet and he pulled out a tub from within. "This is burn salve, everything in here's labeled. They're easy to find." As he turned around he saw the fear in his cousin's eyes and the young savior sighed. "Look, don't worry. I'm going to find a way to control it, and like I said, I'll be there to fix whatever I fuck up. Like now." The tub tilted as Harry wiggled it and soon they made their way back to the living room.

Bright red skin on Severus' arm showed and sure enough there were two blisters that had formed in the wake of magical wrath. Harry knelt down to Severus, who glared at him as he sat back on his feet. "I'm sorry." Harry whispered as he opened the tub and pulled a dollop of the burn salve onto his fingers. Cold cream caused his thin fingers to glide effortlessly across the Dark Mark before him. "I don't think you're right about binding me, but you are right that I desperately need to learn to control myself. That's why starting tomorrow I'm going to be spending an hour after waking up every day learning to fight. That way I'll have something to take my anger out on and hopefully I'll be too exhausted to hurt either of you again. If you have other ideas, I'll be glad to hear them."

Nostrils flared as Severus huffed and the man's icy stare stayed strong. "I want an additional hour of practice from you a day. You will feel your emotions to the fullest of their capacity, I don't care how you make yourself feel them, but you will, and your target will be an inanimate form outside that we can charm to take the image of whoever you're pissed off at that day- myself, Draco, hell even the Dark Lord if that will get your emotions high enough." Heavy eyelids fell as relief from the burns spread throughout his arm and Severus pulled his sleeve down. "I don't care what time of day you do it, but I want you using every bit of wordless wandless magic you can and throwing everything you've got at that form. Over time you will see what physical symptoms you get before you do certain things, and you should be able to stop yourself once you notice yourself getting there. Agreed?"

Black messy hair bounced as Harry nodded and sat back on his own feet. "Agreed. I can do that."

"Then apology accepted." Snape said lowly before he stood and left to his room in a flurry of black robes.

As tensions died down, Dudley left the room to head for the bathroom and ready himself for his first lesson with Hermione. A cool breeze filtered in through an open window as the creatures of the night sang their mating songs in the distance. "Draco?" Harry asked as he stood and saw the blonde walk by. "Can you do me a favor?"

Grey eyes darted towards the ceiling as Draco thought for a moment then nodded his head. "I guess… and hey, since nobody else has brought it up, I've noticed that you've already gotten better at something with your powers- directing your anger. I didn't feel a thing so you can already direct and stuff to specific marks. Anyways, whaddya want?"

"I want to know if there's any way you can get me out of speaking at the Ministry tomorrow." Harry said as he smiled a bit with the knowledge that he had done something right. Pearly whites slipped from view as his smile faded. "Some goon got it stuck in his head that I need to make a speech, and even had the Minister go sign papers ordering me to appear there and take in some question and answer time. Papers with the summons are on the table over there."

Light shone from the tip of his wand as Draco went snatched the letter from the table. By the time he'd reread the summons twice, he'd nodded his head. "Yeah, I can get you out of making the big speech, but not the Q n A." He said. "We should have a mock session tonight so I can prepare you for public speaking and what not to say, cause I can tell you now, Skeeter's gonna be there and a couple other papers too. Plus, if you do public questions and answers like you did reading from the book in class, you're gonna need all the help you can get."

 _ **A/N:**_ _Definitions:_

 _Nimagimancer (nuh•MAH•ji•man•sir) – Taken from the Latin words, Anima (soul) and Magicae (magic). A Nimagimancer is someone who comes from a family line of witches and wizards who can remove a core from a magical person and implant it into a squib or muggle. Since they can quite literally touch a witch or wizard's magical core and move it, they can also bring a Borderline's core to the forefront._


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Green eyes jerked wildly over the crowd that had formed outside of the Ministy. The tiny hole which Harry had peered through slipped closed as the young savior backed up from the bright gold and shiny curtains that lined the back of the temporary stage. As Minister Shacklebolt finished his short speech he introduced the savior who had come to answer any and all questions posed to him. Mixed cheers and conversation erupted from the crowd and soon Shacklebolt walked behind the curtain and motioned for Harry to face the crowd.

With a deep breath that he let out slowly, Harry clenched his hands and relaxed them, then made his way out onto the stage to take his position at the podium. The crowd quickly became silent as Harry nodded towards them. Before he could so much as utter a single word, a woman yelled out to him. "Is it true you're mingling with Death Eaters?"

A hint of a smile formed on the young man's face as he recalled a similar question Draco had posed in their mock session the night before. "No Ma'am, it's not. I would not associate myself with Death Eaters, especially after what I have done to combat them. I am, however, in association with two spies who worked for Albus Dumbledore and brought us inside information that we used to defeat Voldemort and his Death Eaters."

Feathers were pulled from robes and purses in every direction and people began to write down his answer. As the scribbles continued, a man far off in the back took his turn to voice his curiosities. "Do you plan to run for Minister of Magic during the next election?"

Harry's small smile grew as the young man chuckled and shook his head. "No, I have absolutely no intention of running for Minister of Magic any time soon. I feel that Minister Shacklebolt is doing a wonderful job of that, and look forward to his continued work."

From the front of the crowd, an older man whose hair had thinned considerably with his age spoke up. "When's your wedding set for Mr. Potter?"

As Harry's eyes narrowed, his head tilted to the side slightly. "Um, I'm not getting married? I'm not engaged or anything." He felt his cool demeanor slip away from him.

Clamor quickly burst forth from the crowd as many people sought to correct him. "But the article!" "But your fiancée!" "The paper said!" Were the loudest and most frequent protests. From the middle of the crowd, a woman shouted above the rest. "But what about the exclusive interview with Ginevra Weasley?"

"I don't know anything about this interview. Ms. Ginevra Weasley and I are not in any sort of relationship at this point in time- we had broken up months ago. There is no plan for us to marry, there never was." Harry told the group as he attempted to school his emotions and face so as not to reveal how enraged he was over the fact that Ginny had lied over something like this.

Curly blonde hair caught Harry's eye as a woman sliced through the crowd to come front and center. A sickly-sweet smile through bright red lips formed as the woman pushed her red cat-eye glasses up her nose and repositioned her quill. "Well, Mr. Potter, from an engagement scandal to refusal to run for Minister when the people clearly want you to- you're a fountain of confliction today. Tell me; what are your opinions on the new anonymously authored tell-all biographical book set detailing your Hogwarts years that's set to come out in a few months?"

Green eyes rolled upward for a moment as Harry let out a sigh. "Ms. Skeeter, I have no idea what book you're talking about. It's supposed to be a biography you said?" He waited for a nod from the woman. "Well then I have no opinion on it. Only I could write an accurate biography of what happened to _me_ for 7 years of _my_ life, and since I am not writing such a book, whatever is going to come out will probably amount to the same dribble that passes for 'readable' in your own column."

Silence befell the crowd and for a moment it looked as though Ms. Skeeter would verbally retaliate, but by the time it'd taken her to collect herself and her thoughts, a man called out from the center of the crowd. "How did you kill He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?"

A welcome distraction, Harry turned his attention towards the man. "His _name_ was Voldemort. Voldemort is _dead_ ; there is no longer a taboo on his name. Saying 'Voldemort' will no longer reveal your location to anyone so please- the continued fear of using his name is not in our best interest, please use his name. As for how I killed Voldemort, I didn't do it alone. Many people helped. Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley stood with me at the frontlines and helped me battle and search from the moment I first learned of his existence until the moment he was defeated. Albus Dumbledore had formed an entire group that took me in and taught me everything they knew that might help take down the monster that was Voldemort, and everyone in that group from Minister Shacklebolt himself to Alastor Moody, from Remus Lupin and Sirius Black to Mundungus Fletcher- every single member of the group aided in the defeat of Voldemort. Not only had he formed this group, Mr. Dumbledore had also recruited Severus Snape and Draco Malfoy to act as spies against Voldemort and gather information we could use, without every single one of these peoples help, I could not have stood a chance against the tyrant. We, all of us, we worked together to bring down Voldemort, his legions of Death Eaters, and put a final stop to his reign of terror. I simply hope we can start fresh after this with no more Dark Lords."

"Speaking of Lords and the Black family-" A familiar voice called from the crowd which parted somewhat to reveal the speaker, Andromeda Tonks. "Will you be taking the name of Lord Black?"

Black eyebrows pulled together as Harry frowned towards the woman. "I'm afraid I don't understand the question Madame Tonks. Why would I be named Lord of the Black Estate?"

The woman nodded her head gracefully and clasped her hands together in front of her robes. "When Sirius died, he had stated you as his sole heir in his will. Once he was cleared posthumously, his title of Lord Black was reinstated. With you as his godson and only heir, you inherited that title and may take it if you choose. I'd like to know if you choose to take the title."

The young savior's mouth opened and closed once more as he gave a soft shake of his head. "I don't know. I'll need to speak with the proper authorities about it." Soft but growing dings came from a golden bell attached to the stage. Tension in Harry's shoulders seemed to leave in waves as the Minister returned to the stage. "Thank you for your questions, my time is up."

The young man sidestepped behind Minister Shacklebolt as the older man addressed the crowd, and soon Harry slipped behind the golden curtain. He came face to face with a very bored Snape and Malfoy. "What is this? Lord Black? Do I talk to the goblins like with the whole title of Lord Potter, or is this something completely different?"

Blonde hair bounced as Draco nodded his head. "Yes, you talk to the goblins but it's a lot more stuff than if you were just accepting your own family name, because it's a non-immediately-related inherited one."

Green eyes flicked over to Snape and then to Draco as Harry let out a long sigh. "Fine, I'll go to Gringotts and get this sorted. Meet you back at home." He told the two just before he walked off down the street to go get his business sorted.

After he'd informed Nagnok, the closest goblin to the entrance, of what he'd intended to do, Harry was ushered into a small private room off to the side. Nagnok brought along Lurkrot and the two took a seat at the long thin table. "Please sit down, Mr. Potter." Nagnok told him.

With an unamused look, Lurkrot shifted his glasses and clasped his hands together on top of the table. "I've been handling and overseeing your account transactions since Griphook departed Mr. Potter, as such that is why I am here- to act as your personal advisor. Nagnok is our resident expert on wills, inheritances, and titles. If you have any questions about the specifics of what will happen or how this works, please speak up now."

Leather squeaked as Harry slid into the chair on the other side of the table. "Uhh, yeah sure. If I don't take the title, who gets it?"

Quickly the two goblins moved together to whisper back and forth between one another, and soon resumed their formal sitting positions. Lurkrot cleared his throat. "Bellatrix Lestrange née Black would inherit the title and estate."

Rage flared in Harry's eyes and the table drug against the ground as it moved an inch to his left. Harry quickly closed his eyes and took a breath to regain his calm as a frown encompassed his face. Slender fingers moved to stroke Harry's chin and his elbow rested on the smooth brown arm of his chair as he looked back to the worried goblins. "What all does the estate include?"

Papers rustled as Nagnok filed through them quickly. A particular parchment was pulled out of the pile, which he handed to Lurkrot, who then began to read it. "Black Manor, and all of its contents, Number 12 Grimmuald Place, and all of its contents, two hidden safehouses in undisclosed locations, a Black Family vault, a compounded vault, Sirius Black's vault, Bellatrix Lestrange née Black's vault, and Narcissa Malfoy née Black's vault."

Harry nodded as the goblin spoke and he shifted to lean back in his chair. "What's a compounded vault?"

A small satisfied grunt left Nagnok as he took over the answer for this questions. "When a customer dies and leaves no will, the contents of their vault go into their nearest living relative's 'compound vault'. These vaults can hold anywhere from one to twenty self-made fortunes, sometimes more. Sometimes they're full of furniture and other non-valuable rubbish. The Black Family Compound Vault currently holds the contents of the vaults of the late of Regulus Black, Irma Black née Crabbe, and Alphard Black."

Harry's eyelids closed for a moment as he thought of what all this meant. The flew open again as a new worry cropped up in his mind. "If I took the title of Lord Black, would I be able to control what Narcissa and Bellatrix take from their vaults? Or could I shut the vaults down and just donate all their gold to you?"

Yellow eyes glistened as Lurkrot's mouth contorted into a greedy smile. "While it pains me to say so, Mrs. Malfoy's account cannot be touched as she is not imprisoned or dead, however due to Mrs. Lestrange's current residence being in Azkaban, you may choose suspend her account, or 'shut it down' as you called it. Whatever you choose to do with her belongings afterward would be completely up to you- and any contribution you might make to our humble bank would be greatly appreciated."

As he took in all of this information, the room grew silent. The goblins watched him with anticipation until finally Harry sighed. "Alright I accept the title of Lord Black, I want to shut down Bellatrix's vault, and would like to make an arrangement with you. For your help and patience with me asking so many questions today, I wish for half of all the galleons, knuts, and sickles in Bellatrix Lestrange's vault to be donated to the bank, as for the other half of her money, I with for you two to split it evenly between yourselves if you will do me the favor of moving all of the non-money objects in her vault to the Black Family vault."

Chairs squeaked and dragged against the floor as both goblins shot up to pull Harry's hands into feverish shakes. "It's a deal, Mr. Potter!" Lurkrot agreed as Nagnok pulled his hand away and began to shuffle through papers.

Soon the young savior signed the papers needed to take the title, and the contract that Lurkrot had whipped up on the fly for their personal agreement concerning the contents of the now-suspended Lestrange vault. As he left the building, Harry made an unexpected detour off to number 12 Grimmuald Place.

Creaky floorboards, wallpaper that was half peeled off, and the stench of mold welcomed him first, followed by a very curious house elf. Wrinkly old eyes opened wide upon the sight of Harry's entrance and the little elf nodded to him. "Welcome back, Master Potter." He greeted simply.

Harry nodded his greeting to the old elf. "Thanks, Kreacher. Hey, listen uhh, I've taken the title Lord Black now- just got the papers and everything-" He produced a copy of the signed agreement from the pouch attached to his belt and handed it to the elf. "Is there anything I should know about the place? Also, do you know where the two Black family safehouses are?"

As the elderly elf read over the paper he began to shake his head. "Lord Black- forgive me I did not know." He said as he knelt down and handed the parchment back to Harry. "I am at your service until my death." His voice lowered to a whisper.

"Oh please stand up!" Harry's brows knitted together as he pulled the contract to his chest and the confused elf stood. "Please don't treat me differently than you have been, I'm not trying to replace anybody, I'm just here to get the Black estate affairs in order."

Kreacher nodded his head then peered off to the side for a moment before he spoke. "I believe you already know all there is to know about this house… the locations of the safehouses, I remember one location and can apparate you there should you wish… the other has been lost through the times, however you may find it written down in the attic of the manor- but beware." The little elf's eyes narrowed as he raised a knobby finger. "The Manor is in worse shape than Grimmuald Place has ever been. The manor is old, decrepit, dilapidated, no good- just like Kreacher."

As Harry's mouth opened to respond, a loud screech came from the covered portrait in the hall. Walburga Black began to howl and shriek at the top of her lungs. "How **dare** you! Filthy scum- halfblood waste! You will never be Lord Black! Get out of my house, get **out get** _ **out!**_ " The wail that came from that painting pierced the hearing of Harry and Kreacher so much their hands slammed over their ears.

Once the noise had ceased, Harry's hands fell back by his side as the small house elf scampered off to the attic to bemoan his Mistress' pain. The young Lord Black approached the small black satin curtain that shook over Walburga's painting and snatched the soft fabric from the rod. As the portrait prepared to let out another shriek, Harry's slender finger moved up to his lips where it pressed lightly. "Shhh." He told her as a small silencing barrier formed around the portrait. "Mrs. Black, there are some things you should know about me. One, I enjoy Kreacher's company- he's come to tolerate me and I think he's even started to enjoy my company, so I wouldn't want to ruin that by doing irreparable damage to you since he loves you so much. Ah ah- before you start ranting about how I could never do damage to you because of all the magic and the wards that keep your portrait firmly placed where it is, that brings me to number two; your precious Voldemort is dead. I killed him. I also siphoned alllllll his power, so now I not only have my own magic, I have his on top of it. This has proven for some very dangerous and unexpected abilities. I theorize that if I got mad enough at you, or tried hard enough, you would indeed become irreparably damaged in my rage. If you would care to test this theory, then by all means, continue screaming at me- but if you have any sense of loyalty to the elf who has served you for so long, even after your death, who would be extremely upset at your destruction, I would highly advise against it." Something within Harry's eyes darkened and a small innocuous smile formed on his lips. "So this all put together means, either learn to respect me and treat me as an equal, or keep your mouth shut when I'm around if you don't want to be destroyed."

Small almost inaudible crackles came as the silencing barrier dissolved. Cold glowers shot from the affronted portrait's eyes, however she did not speak. Instead she found the best course of action for her was to glare daggers at the young man.

Silence settled in and Harry made his way back to the kitchen so that he might take a look in the fridge to ensure Kreacher had enough food and drink stowed away. Shoulders slouched as Harry stood in the cold cloud of air that emanated from the nearly empty fridge. "Kreacher?" The little elf appeared beside him, wordless with his fingers wrapped around one another in front of him. Harry peered down to him and sighed. "Kreacher, I'm sorry if I offended you by threatening Mrs. Black."

"You… enjoy Kreacher's company?" The elf asked as he raised his head so his squinty blue eyes could more accurately judge Harry's reaction.

Air escaped through Harry's lips as he nodded and knelt down to be more at eye level with Kreacher. "Yes. Ever since you've stopped attacking me and making rude remarks towards me, I've found your company enjoyable."

Fidgety fingers stilled as Kreacher stared into Harry's face on the search for a lie. "But you have not ordered Kreacher to serve by your side." He countered.

A small sigh of realization hit at the young savior finally recognized Kreacher's source of confusion. "You love Mrs. Black. You've professed as much nearly a hundred times over the years, if not more. I don't want to take you away from someone you love so dearly. Don't get me wrong, I have considered asking if you'd like to come with me as my own personal assistant, but I didn't think you'd want to leave this place or your Mistress."

Dim blue eyes softened as Kreacher glanced back towards the silently pacing portrait. With his own sigh, the elf nodded and looked back to his master, the new Lord Black. "You are right- Kreacher doesn't want to leave. Kreacher loves his Mistress, even if she screams at me… but Lord Black may call on Kreacher at any time, day or night, and I will come." The elf informed him with a nod.

A smile formed on Harry's face. "Thank you, Kreacher. That's very kind of you… now I need to know what your favorite kinds of foods are, because I need to stock your fridge so that you have something to eat."

An ecstatic sob escaped Kreacher's throat as the old little elf threw his arms out and hugged Harry's neck.

* * *

"I want to go to a zoo!" Harry proclaimed as he entered back into Snape's manor and set his outer robes upon the rack by the floo. "Surely wizards have some sort of zoo, and I've only ever been to a muggle one before."

A soft scoff came from Dudley, who had several cards in his hand where he had attempted to teach Draco how to play blackjack before that day's lesson with Hermione. "Yeh, and you let a snake out and trapped me in its enclosure."

With a shrug, Harry flopped down onto the couch in the main sitting room and laid his head back on his arms. "Yeah, but you deserved it. You were beating on the glass and calling it names when it didn't immediately move for you. Shouldn't have treated it like that."

Blue eyes looked to the ceiling and Dudley nodded his head. "I'll concede that you're right about that. I shouldn't have done it, but I don't think I deserved it, at eleven years old, to have the piss scared out of by being trapped in a snake enclosure."

A rustle of paper sounded as Severus turned the page in his book from his chair by the lit fireplace. The noise drew Harry's attention, and the young man narrowed his eyes towards the dark wizard. "Say, when am I gonna meet the elusive Serenity?"

"Never." Snape answered simply without so much as a glance up to the boy. "I will not have you coddling my cobra."

With a groan, Harry's hand fell down over the side of the couch. "I won't coddle her. I might pet her, but I won't coddle." His voice had a distinct whine to it.

A bark of victory came from Draco as he saw he had a Jack of Spades and an Ace of Clubs. "Ha! Twenty-one! I won!… I won right?" He glanced around for a moment and it finally dawned on him that Harry was in the room. "Oh, Potter, you received a howler." His perfectly manicured nail pointed towards the table beside Severus' chair.

With a groan, Harry decided to get whatever onslaught was to come over with and he ripped open the seal.

 _ **Harry James Potter!**_ Came the undeniable voice of one Ginevra Weasley. _**How DARE you tell the papers that we aren't in a relationship! We KISSED! Does that mean absolutely NOTHING to you? I had already told mum that we were getting married, and she got excited and started making our wedding plans, then she read that stupid paper and saw what you said! She had the**_ **audacity** _ **to**_ **PUNISH ME** _ **for**_ **LYING** _ **! I never lied. We are getting married Harry, just you wait.**_ Her voice softened near the end. _**Oh and when you propose, remember to get a ring with at least 7 stones surrounding the big one. Love you~ Toodles.**_

Harry let out a scream of frustration as the howler burst seemingly spontaneously into flame and the ashes and embers exploded and landed in every which direction. An ember landed on Severus who simply licked his thumb and suffocated the flame before he gave a mild glare towards the Brat-Who-Couldn't-Control-His-Powers.


End file.
